Automatic for the People

One of the largest bands in the American South meets some of the best hotels.

We have recently added a number of great American hotels south of the Mason Dixon line. Everyone is proof that the term "Southern Hospitality" is not a cliché, but a fundamental expectation (like a bit of heat in your roast chicken). We've decided to spice things up a bit by combining these great hotels in the South with songs from a great southern band. Formed in Georgia, R.E.M. is known for a country-influenced sound that combines modern and traditional styles in an unexpected and beautiful way – just like the hotels below.

Perry Lane Hotel

Savannah, Georgia

"Wolves, lower" – from Chronic city, 1982

One of the joys of visiting Savannah, Georgia, are the fine examples of gothic revival architecture that can be found throughout the city. Although it is a modern boutique hotel, Perry Lane refers to the city's aesthetic heritage (the rooms are filled with eclectic artwork, vintage books, and objects that add extra local color). R.e.m. is also familiar with the style of "southern Gothic" – the term was often used to describe their sound, beginning with Chronic city, her Gargoyle-dressed debut EP and the first track of this album, "Wolves, Lower".

Hotel Clermont

Atlanta, Georgia

"Radiofree Europe" – from Murmur, 1983

We stay in REM's home state and turn to their first single release, Radio Free Europe. Fittingly, because the first thing you notice at the Clermont is the 65 meter high radio tower from the 1920s, which towers over the hotel roof. The iconic tower symbolizes the building's resilience and rebirth over the decades, from glory and decay to its rightful place as a premier boutique hotel. The song, of course, has the other Georgia in mind: that in Eastern Europe, where the original Radio Free Europe sought a different kind of rebirth by transmitting news and information to oppressed countries.

Sagamore Pendry

Baltimore, Maryland

"Port coat" – from Reckoning, 1984

Sagamore Pendry is located in Baltimore's lively Fell Point, surrounded by bars and restaurants, and boasts a view of the city's famous Inner Harbor, which is located on the historic Recreation Pier. The maritime outdoor areas are reflected inside the hotel by a nautical-toned decor, which pays homage to the harbor location, without turning into a theme hotel kitsch. Baltimore is exchanged for Bolshevik Russia, but "Harborcoat" triggers a similar trick. The singer Michael Stipe paints a picture of the life of the working class under Lenin, without explicitly clarifying the morality – a specialty of his often inscrutable texts.

Old No. 77 Hotel & Chandlery

New Orleans, Louisiana

"Driver 8" – from Fables of Reconstruction, 1985

Of all the hotels on this list, the Old No. 77 Hotel & Chandlery closest to the bohemian art school spirit of REM The former coffee shop provides a vibrant backdrop for guests, brimming with rich brick and old wood textures and stunningly accomplished work by New Orleans Center for Creative Arts students, an education-free student art school. Fables of the reconstruction was REM's most artistic and experimental album, and "Driver 8" was the standout track, filled with vivid images of rural South and direct links to the Southern Crescent, a railroad line that decades after New York – you guessed it – New Orleans.

Eaton Hotel

Washington, D.C.

"Begin the beginning" – from Life's Rich Pageant, 1986

Only one political song will suffice for the most political city in the world. "Begin the Begin" is the opening track Life's Rich Pageant, and was up to that point the most open political song of REM A line in the song, "Silence means security, silence means consent", could equally refer to the too-long accepted acceptance of hotels in Washington that have no personality and that are satisfied to meet the expense accounts of the visiting diplomats. Lobbyists and business travelers. The uprising has begun, however, as hotels like the Eaton have broken away from the aesthetic conservatism of D.C. and even have a social justice ethos that would make this socially conscious band proud.

Bobby Hotel

Nashville, Tennessee

"It's the end of the world as we know it (and I feel good)" – from Document, 1987

The Bobby is a rock & roll hotel in an iconic music city, and there is no R.E.M. Song as rocking or iconic as 1987 "It's the end of the world as we know it (and I feel good)". Murals and graphics in Bobby's rooms take their toll on Music City, but staying in a hotel like this room is just part of the story. Nashville is a city known for its nightlife. Bobby has a lot to offer in this department, from the two restaurants, the café and the tavern to the garage bar on the ground floor and the open-air rooftop lounge. They will feel good in Bobby, at the end of the world, or otherwise.

Proximity Hotel

Greensboro, North Carolina

"Was standing" – from Green, 1988

The Proximity Hotel is the first hotel in America to receive the LEED Platinum certification from the US Green Building Council. If there is a paradise for environmentalists, come here. The hotel is made of recycled materials that are solar heated and geothermally cooled. Efficient lighting saves energy, efficient sanitation saves water, even the elevators return energy to the system. "Stand" has not always been taken seriously, but when the song asks you to "think about the place where you live", we can not help but remember the kind of local activism that Proximity Hotel stands for.

Assembly Palmetto Bluff

Bluffton, South Carolina

"You are all that" – from Green, 1988

"You are the Everything" starts with the humming of the crickets, before a mandolin, an accordion and the longing song of Stipe lay the foundation for what later became a R.E.M. Signature Sound: spacious, land-based ballads with epic, emotional themes – a style later to be found in hits like Half a World Away, Everybody Hurts and Strange Currencies. South Carolina's Low Country is essentially the visual equivalent of These Songs, from the dramatic, dramatic oaks of the region to the slow silence of their marshes and swamps. Palmetto Bluff is the epitome of a low country, from the shed houses to the charming waterside location to the sprawling nature reserve – and the stars are the best you've ever seen.

The Blackburn Inn

Staunton, Virginia

"Losing my Religion" – from Out of Time, 1991

The building that now houses the Blackburn Inn began life as a Western State Lunatic Asylum. Then how could we not combine it with a song that takes its title from a southern expression because it loses control or courtesy? All in all, a thorough renovation has removed the hotel from its original purpose. The interiors are stylish and not too much dedicated to the visual heritage of the building, with an eclectic mix of farmhouse and modernist flair. The result is as fresh and surprising as it was then, when such an eccentric song as "Losing My Religion" became the biggest mainstream hit by R.E.M.

Wylder Hotel Tilghman Island

Chesapeake Bay, Maryland

"Night Swimming" – from Automatic for the people, 1992

If you want to enjoy a bit of night swimming, a waterfront hotel like the Wylder is a good place from which to start. The hotel pays homage to a Bayside Bed & Breakfast that you can imagine visiting a family vacation – and then depart for a romantic late night in the calm moonlight. This does not mean that the hotel itself, a guesthouse from 1898, does not offer its own romance. Maritime colors and materials – wood and brass, sisal and rattan – reinforce the connection to the seafaring life of Chesapeake Bay, while the comfort of modern luxury.

Kimpton Angler's Hotel South Beach

Miami Beach, Florida

"Man in the Moon" – from Automatic for the people, 1992

Automatically for the people has more than a few connections with Miami. Parts of the album were recorded there, the cover picture shows a star ornament from an old motel on Biscayne Boulevard, and advertising stills were recorded in and around the city. The album's biggest hit, "Man on the Moon", addresses issues of doubt and belief – as well as the doubt you might feel when you hear that South Beach has a tasteful and restrained side, and faith, if You can see how perfectly it is portrayed by the album Angler's Hotel. Neither Art Deco is obsessed, nor a first-class party spot, nor exaggeratedly luxurious. Angler's meets the right grades for guests who want to experience this great American city without all the exaggerated glamor and glamor.

The Dwell Hotel

Chattanooga, Tennessee

"What's the frequency, Kenneth?" – from Monster, 1994

A fun and funky hotel for the funniest and funky song by R.E.M. From 1994 monster was a big descent for R.E.M. They replaced the serious southern folk of the previous two albums with exaggerated distortions, and for the first time the band seemed ready to celebrate. Similarly, the Dwell is the starting point for the Chattanooga hotel scene. Dwell is the first true boutique hotel in this small town in the south. It is practically full of life and colors thanks to an exciting but carefully thought-out interior design by new owner Seija Ojanpera.